Waiting on Peace
It’s easy enough to read “don’t let your heart be troubled,” but it’s another thing all together to put it into practice. I had confessed my mistake and asked for forgiveness, I’d done everything I could think of to find peace. So why was my heart still troubled?
LifePoint Kids – December 25
The good news is for everyone. Jesus is born! God could have announced the birth of the Savior to anyone. But in Luke 2:8-20, we read that God didn’t choose to share Jesus’ birth with kings, government officials, or religious leaders. Rather, God sent an angel choir...
Light of Joy
The wise men followed the light of a star toward Jesus. Have you ever wondered who these wise men were? Maybe you have more in common with them than you realize. How could responding to God’s light in your life generate joy and create opportunities to share that light with others?
Week 4: The Light of Joy
As I walked along the dry-stone wall, the last rays of sunlight gasped a final breath before disappearing behind the scenic peak in the distance. It wasn’t even four pm yet, but the sun was setting as I hustled down the path to pick up my son from primary school.
Light of Love
Joseph must have been crushed when he learned his fiancée was pregnant (and he was not the father). Reassured that Mary was miraculously pregnant and that her baby would fulfill God’s promise to save people from their sins, Joseph’s story demonstrates how God’s love guides us in making decisions for His glory.
LifePoint Kids – December 18
Jesus is the greatest gift. In Luke 2:1-7, we see how God’s greatest gift finally arrived. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census. The town was bustling with people, leaving no room for them to stay. Thankfully, they found a place where the animals were...
Week 3: The Light of Love
The truth is that love isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. We aren’t limited to seeing the people we love most at only their best – ask anyone who has ever had a heated argument with their spouse or stormed out of a family gathering.
Light of Hope
God’s people waited hopefully over centuries for God to send their promised Messiah. Finally, a young woman named Mary, responded with faith to an angel’s surprising announcement that God was fulfilling his promise through her. Hope is a sometimes overlooked but essential quality for a life of faith. How is Jesus calling you to hope?
LifePoint Kids – December 11
Anything is possible with God. In week two, we head to Luke 1:5-66 where we find Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary. Zechariah and Elizabeth were older, and it seemed impossible that they’d ever have a child of their own. But one day an angel came to Zechariah and told...
Week 2: The Light of Peace
As I descended the mountainside, I could still smell smoke from the campfire and hear the giggles of preteen girls snuggled in sleeping bags. I was working as support staff at camp but had accompanied the counselors and campers for their traditional cookout on a stunning rocky vista.
All Things New
The past serves as an enduring reminder of God’s faithfulness. But live in the past too comfortably and you’ll run the risk of missing the experience and excitement of God’s future blessings. God is a God of new things. He is always making and remaking for His glory and our good.
LifePoint Kids – December 4
God always has a plan. We kick off December with an Old Testament prophecy found in Isaiah 9:6-7. The story of Christmas begins with promises that God made long before Jesus was born. God’s people had been waiting for hundreds of years for God to send the Savior. Many...
Hearing for the Holidays
Often, our holiday gatherings include people who aren’t in our day-to-day orbit… and maybe for good reason. They may have ideas, opinions, or beliefs so far from our own that it can feel like they live on a different planet. We may not always agree with those around us, but as followers of Christ, we are called to be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19).
Week 1: The Light of Hope
One morning, before the sun whispered its way into the horizon, the sky was clear and I could see the stars in all their glory. Yet, it wasn’t the stars that I focused on. It was the darkness that holds them all together.
Living Gratitude
David recalled his painful challenges as well as remembered God’s faithfulness. God often uses gratitude to ignite life change for us and encourage faith in him. How can we develop a discipline of gratitude to change our perspective on life?
LifePoint Kids – November 27
You can do what you should even when you don’t know what will happen. In week four, we discover the story of Esther in the Book of Esther. Esther had no idea how God would use her when she was chosen to become Queen of Persia. But, her cousin Mordecai reminded her...
The One Who Thanks
In today’s world, a heartfelt thank-you can seem unnecessary and outdated. But the highest priority of our daily to-do list should be this: “Thank You God. Thank you for Jesus and for all that He has done.”
Trusting God Through Transitions
Moving from one season of life into the next may cause us to face certain challenges. Successfully navigating those situations involves trusting that God is with us and is moving us forward. As He does with the Israelites through Ezekiel, God gives us His word that He will care for us in our next season just as He’s done before.
LifePoint Kids – November 20
You can do what you should because God is with you. In week three, we head to Daniel 6 and a time period when God’s people were in captivity. Even in a foreign land that didn’t worship God, Daniel was known for faithfully praying to God. And when the leaders tried to...
Dark Nights, Faithful God
Seasons change every couple of months. It sometimes feels like we blink and the next season is upon us.
As winter has arrived this year, I’ve been struck by the steadfastness of God. God is the same in fall as winter, and He’s the same in my season of pain as He is in my new season of healing.
Your Wonders of Old
Throughout the Bible, God tells people to remember. His enduring faithfulness has been at work in the family of LifePoint Church for over 35 years. He has proven Himself over and over again. No wonder God tells us to remember. Reflecting on the past can help shape us into people filled with awe and gratitude.
LifePoint Kids – November 13
You can do what you should even when things seem impossible. In week two, we head to passages in 1 Samuel 16 and 17 where we meet David. His story starts when God sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to find a new king for Israel. Samuel was looking for someone who looked...
Seen and Prayed For
“May I pray for you and your husband?” she asked tenderly. As she prayed, her words flowed like soft music, selflessly and gracefully from a humble heart. When she left, my spirit revived and my eyes glistened. Though her prayer was beautiful and meaningful, the greatest gift she gave me was that of being noticed.
Learning Contentment
Contentment is one of those difficult to define qualities that’s even more challenging to actually put into practice. Whether you are very aware of your discontent or feel mostly contented right now, all of us have room to grow in this part of our character. How can we live a contented life?
LifePoint Kids – November 6
You can do what you should even when others are afraid. For week one, we pick up God’s Big Story in Numbers 13-14 with two guys named Joshua and Caleb. After traveling through the desert away from Egypt, they demonstrated courage when they were sent out as spies in...
Keeping the Peace
I tend to enter each space with a performance mindset: the items on my grocery list I need to buy, the emails I must respond to, or the projects I need to complete. Yet, the instruction Jesus gives is less about our performance and more about being completely present: with God, with the spaces we enter, and with the people we meet.
A Compass Couple
From their vantage point at LifePoint from the very beginning, Harry & Debbie Perrine have had a thirty-five year long front row seat to the joys and disappointments of church ministry. Yet, they have never wavered in their devotion to Christ and their heart for making disciples.
Stand
What would it look like for you to stand strong in your life right now? As we near the conclusion of the letter to the Philippians, we find encouragement to stand firm. Together, let’s discover some key actions that will help us maintain stability no matter what life throws at us.
LifePoint Kids – October 30
Hold on because God is in control. We finish up the month in Exodus 13:17-14:31. God’s people were on their way out of Egypt. Everything was looking great for the Hebrews, until Pharaoh changed his mind. Moses and the Hebrew people found themselves trapped between the...
Called and Near
As a mother, my instinct was to make him better. At first, I prayed for healing. But over the weeks and months, my prayers began to change. I once heard a pastor say, “We get to know God best when we need him most.” I began to pray instead that through the confusion and uncertainty, my son would experience God in a fresh and profound way.